Exercise

You're doing great, and I admire your energy and motivation! That's great for someone of any age . . . but if you're new to exercise, be careful not to overdo (at any age).

Exercise is great for a person, but overdoing can be counterproductive for either weight loss or fitness improvement.

What we want is just enough exercise (duration, frequency, and intensity) to feel energized after the session(s) for the rest of the day - maybe just a few minutes of "whew" right after, but then energized. As we get fitter, we can increase the duration, frequency, or intensity to keep just a mild, manageable challenge always in the picture. That's the sweet spot for both weight management and fitness improvement.

Exercising to the point of persistent fatigue can make us rest more, drag through the rest of the day, and burn fewer calories in daily life. That effectively cancels out some of the exercise calories.

From a fitness standpoint, recovery - the time between exercise sessions - is where the magic happens, i.e., our body building back better and stronger after the stress/challenge of the exercise. Overdoing can short-change that, too.

Speaking as a li'l ol' lady (age 67), but a very active one, I'm super-pleased to see that you're not underestimating what you can achieve because you're over 40 (or whatever). Too many people do that, and short-change themselves that way. A sustainable, moderately challenging exercise program is perfect for almost everyone.

Keep up the great work, and best wishes for success!